To: Patrick J. Foye and other MTA board members; Mayor Bill de Blasio

From: Talike Bennett, Md Islam, Artem Sokol

Subject: Overcrowded subway platforms in NYC and a potential solution

Date: March 29, 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this memo is to discuss how overcrowded MTA platforms cause train delays and propose the solution of opening more entrances and exits to allow for more efficient movement of commuters in and out of the station.

Summary

Overcrowded platforms are dangerous for commuters and are the leading cause of train delays. Overcrowded platforms can easily result in subway users falling onto the train tracks resulting in severe or even fatal injuries. Furthermore, overcrowded platforms result in packed train carts and force conductors to wait much longer in order to load and unload passengers ultimately causing train delays. A solution we propose is to open more entrances and exits to allow for increased access to the platform, allowing commuters to better distribute themselves and decrease platform congestion. 

Discussion

Overcrowding in New York City subway stations has been an issue for the past six years (Fitzsimmons), and it has various negative impacts on New Yorkers. Perhaps the most common effect of overcrowding is train delay. The amount of time a train is in a station is known as “dwell time,” and with so many people trying to get on and off trains at once, dwell time has been at its highest for the past few years. This not only affects the passengers at the affected station but also those waiting at other stations on the train route. According to Devin Gannon from 6sqft, the MTA has designed the system so that trains should “spend only 30 seconds at each station before departing” (Gannon). However, due to overcrowding, trains almost always surpass this time limit. Overcrowding also poses a risk to our health and safety. For example, an argument about the invasion of personal space can easily break out and lead to someone being injured or even killed. And, considering the ongoing pandemic, the CDC recommends people to keep a 6-foot distance from others. However, according to frequent rider Shaderra Armstead, the overcrowded trains and stations make social distancing “impossible” (Hays).

There are several factors that account for overcrowding in our subway stations. One of them is our constantly rising population. Even though the city’s population continues to grow, our train system “has not adapted to the dramatic increase in ridership, now serving millions more in the same sized system” (Gannon). The size of train cars that are currently in use are essentially the same, and improvements are barely made on the infrastructure of the stations. As a result, it takes a lot of time to transport a large number of people from one station to the next.

Nevertheless, we believe that the number of inaccessible stations is the leading cause of overcrowding. The MTA train system has been active for over 100 years now and since then, many station entrances that were once accessible are now closed. The 50th Street station on the C train line, for example, is one of the many stations that have had at least one of their entrances permanently blocked off (Rivoli). However, it turns out that this is negatively impacting the experiences of train riders. Our city’s population is constantly growing, and our most used method of public transportation needs to do the same. 

Recommendation

There are various ways that this issue of overcrowding can be tackled, but we strongly suggest reopening closed entrances and/or creating new entrances. Doing so can potentially decrease the likelihood of station overcrowding. We believe that allowing for more access points to subway platforms can greatly reduce the congestion of commuters into small areas. Opening more entrances will allow for subway users to better distribute themselves around the platform and prevent potential accidents and delays caused by overcrowding. Councilman Mark Levine agrees and in a letter to the MTA, he stated, “Opening up these access points will provide opportunities for new business and will relieve dangerous congestion that slows down riders from boarding and exiting subway stations in a timely manner. This congestion also delays the subway and bogs down commutes” (westsiderag.com). Furthermore, this solution is definitely the quicker and more cost affordable option. According to Comptroller Stringer, “As of 2015, NYC Transit reported that 298 street stairs were closed to the public at 119 unique stations” (Guse). The MTA has an abundance of closed entrances/exits that are definitely in need of maintenance but can be functional in a much shorter amount of time than other possible solutions like closing down an entire station to extend platforms. Additionally, the cost of fixing some steps, securing a railing, and equipping proper lighting is much cheaper than an alternative option of redesigning train carts. Overcrowding is a massive problem in our city and for the city that never sleeps, we need a fast and reasonable solution that will not cost us hundreds of millions of dollars. We firmly believe that opening closed or new entrances/exits is the best solution to overcrowding.

Work Cited

“Councilman: Opening Closed Subway Entrances Could Relieve Crowding.” West Side Rag, 2015, www.westsiderag.com/2015/11/19/councilman-opening-closed-subway-entrances-could-relieve-crowding. 

Fitzsimmons, Emma G., et al. “Every New York City Subway Line Is Getting Worse. Here’s Why.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 28 June 2017, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/06/28/nyregion/subway-delays-overcrowding.html?searchResultPosition=1. 

Gannon, Devin. “Overcrowding and ‘Dwell Time’ Are Why NYC’s Subway System Is Failing.” 6sqft, 28 June 2017, www.6sqft.com/the-subway-system-cant-handle-nycs-growing-popularity/. 

Guse, Clayton. “Stringer Wants MTA to Reopen Long-Closed Subway Entrances to Prevent Overcrowding.” Nydailynews.com, New York Daily News, 15 Jan. 2020, www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-comptroller-stringer-mta-subway-entrances-20200115-gcyt7qdbhfdstmfjxoqqukodxq-story.html.

Hays, Tom, and Marshall Ritzel. “’Everybody Is Very Scared’: Inside NYC’s Crowded Subways Amid Coronavirus.” Talking Points Memo (TPM), 10 Apr. 2020, https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/new-york-subway-transit-coronavirus. 

“MTA Board Members.” MTA, new.mta.info/transparency/leadership/board-members. 

Rivoli, Dan. “Why Transit Advocates Are Pushing to Reopen Shuttered Subway Entrances.” Spectrum News, 20 Nov. 2019, www.ny1.com/nyc/brooklyn/news/2019/11/21/why-transit-advocates-are-pushing-to-reopen-shuttered-subway-entrances. 

Tcholakian, Danielle. “Overcrowding Is Top Cause of Weekday Subway Delays, MTA Stats Show.” DNAinfo New York, DNAinfo New York, 1 Nov. 2016, www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20161101/financial-district/mta-subway-delay-data-august.